Mandatory sick leave hurts businesses

Ellen Bravo of the labor-aligned advocacy group Family Values @ Work claims there were few consequences in San Francisco following passage of that city's paid sick leave mandate ("Paid sick leave urged in Maryland," Nov. 12). However, even the research Ms. Bravo cites suggests otherwise.

According to data published in a survey conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, industries in San Francisco that didn't offer sick leave prior to the mandate were more likely to report a negative impact on profitability. And nearly 30 percent of San Francisco's lowest-wage employees reported layoffs or a reduction in hours at their place of work following the mandate's passage.

Again, this is according to research published by advocates for this sick leave policy, and it's not consistent with Ms. Bravo's claim that a sick leave mandate has "no negative effect."

It appears that the proponents of the concept of mandatory sick leave, including the authors of a recent commentary in The Sun ("Investing in health," Nov. 29), have had no experience in managing staff or managing a business.

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